Memento
by Door Is Ajar
Summary: "They wouldn't change their lives for the world." A collection of one-shots with Death the Kid, Elizabeth, and Patty.
1. Unspoken

The mission had worn them all out. He stumbled into their mansion, already feeling the soreness that came from a tough fight making itself known in his bones. Kid's unspoken plan was to carry his two partners to their own rooms. They didn't bother to transform back until he had reached Liz's room, in which both jumped from his grasp and situated themselves onto the bed.

It was Liz and Patty's unspoken plan to grab Kid from behind as he silently departed, too tired to predict their move. Patty lifted his feet off the ground, and Liz held his arms, refraining him from resisting.

"Is this really necessary?" he spoke, a sigh leaving with the statement.

"Yeah, it is," Liz spoke, matter-of-factly.

"Then what was the point in bringing you two up here?" His eyes were gradually closing, and neither of his partners could resist a swell in their chests.

By then, they had carried Kid to his room and were carefully depositing him onto his bed. He sunk into the plush material, and- just as he felt the last realm of consciousnesses leaving him- he felt two dips in his bed.

"What are you guys doing?" he mumbled, refusing to open his eyes.

"Getting comfortable," Patty replied. He suddenly felt a hand reach for his arm and grab hold.

"Mmm," was the only thing the two were met with.

A second hand reached up- or down, he wasn't sure; he was situated pretty low in comparison to where his pillows were behind his head- and planted itself in his hair. Fingers from presumably the elder sister began lacing and curling around bits of his hair. His mind focused on the two warmest points of his body as he fell into slumber.

* * *

 _He woke to a pillow nearly suffocating him and something else digging into his back. A few seconds past initial drowsiness revealed Patty had managed to place a pillow over his face and then lay her head on top, resulting in extra weight. Behind him, Liz had buried her head into his back, obviously seeking warmth once she realized they had fallen asleep atop the covers._

 _A content sigh passed his lips.  
_

 ** _End_**


	2. Stop

He raised a finger up to his his neck and hissed at the touch. His hand immediately jerked back, both from the intense heat and the- more predominant- sudden and blistering pain that now pulsed from his neck.

"Kid?"

His eyes snapped open, and he was met with Liz, mere inches from his face. While her face portrayed a sense of annoyance, there was an obvious concern concealed largely underneath it.

"Stop messing with it, you'll only make it worse."

She turned silent once more as she sat back down across from him. He was left to stare at the ceiling of the train and all the nuts and bolts that ran along the metal pieces, what with the rather dull sight being the first thing he saw from his rather uncomfortable laying-down position. He could hear giggling from the seat behind him after a moment.

"Kid got in trouble." Half-sing-songed, and Patty's head appeared in the corner of his sight. A sigh escaped him, and his eyes closed once more.

Unconsciously his hand reached for his neck again. He avoided the spot on the right side that brought him pain and instead searched around it, finding the radiating heat an odd sensation. Before he could make it closer to his chin, his wrist was snatched.

"Stop it."

A pause; a search for a better word than what was produced: "Sorry."

The grip was released, and more giggling greeted his ears.

"Why don't you just go to sleep?"

"Why don't you?"

"Because then nobody would stop you from touching your neck."

The volume of laughter increased dramatically. The train bumped, and his legs jumped momentarily from the position over the arm rest at the end of the seat.

There were just a few moments of utter silence, save for the constant noise of the train grinding along the track. "Are either of you girls hot?"

"Nope," from behind.

"Nu-uh," from in front.

"Oh."

A lapse occurred in the rather obscure conversation the trio held.

"It's from your neck and your stomach, which I'm surprised you haven't been messing with." Now that she had brought it up, the intense heat coming from his abdomen began bothering him, demanding attention just as much as his neck. "You know, Kid, I don't know what you tell your dad when you get back from missions like this." He heard a sigh escape the elder sister. "You bring both of us, but you don't actually use us."

"I already told you the witch could capture your energy." He sighed himself, as if the repeat were an immense trouble for him. "And what if the witch had used that same kind of power to actually capture you and Patty yourselves?"

A scoff rudely popped from her mouth. "Whatever. It's that kind of arrogance that got you injured like that."

"Well, it was this 'arrogance' that prevented this from happening to either one of you."

"How do you know _any_ of us would have gotten hurt if you had just brought us with you to battle the witch?"

"How do you know you _wouldn't_ have gotten injured?"

"I asked first, Kid."

"Well, I'm injured."

"And you wouldn't be injured if you had just brought us along." A pause, as she grabbed for Kid's hand, gently probing at his neck. " _Stop_ it."

His words were put to a halt at that. "Look, I'm sorry." Both hands reached for his face, and he rubbed his hands over his eyes. "But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew I had unnecessarily caused... _this_ upon either one of you. How would you have felt if Patty had come out of that battle with a burned stomach or a cut on her arm or any kind of semi-serious injury?"

"I would have had to knock some sense into you afterwards."

"So why are you berating me now?"

"Because you were injured. So I have to knock some sense into you."

She spoke as if it were obvious, yet Kid uncovered his face. The exhaustion played out as his hands dragged across his skin before coming away. He could only partially see Liz from the corner of his eye, refusing to turn his neck and jar the pain further than from his poking. He could vaguely make out another shape above him, and his sight turned to Patty, leaning over the back of the train seat.

A good five minutes passed before another word was spoken.

"Kid, I don't understand what dictates whether you bring us into battle or not, but you don't seem to understand the concept that you're always supposed to bring your weapons with you."

The elder was staring out the window, Patty having sat down herself. When nothing greeted her ears, Liz turned back towards Kid.

His hands remained away from his neck, which surprised her with the intent to remove them already ingrained in her actions. Instead, his eyes wandered aimlessly around the ceiling of the train once more to follow the metal rods and small nails that held the transportation together.

He cleared his throat; and while it originally appeared to be nothing more than that, hesitant words followed. "I'll admit meisters _are_ supposed to bring their weapons into battle."

"I just said that, Kid." She was quick to jump the gun but only due to her rather agitated state, which both Kid and Patty could feel through the wavelength.

"However... The missions we are sent on exceed the normal capacity of other students. With that being said, the only reason Father trusts me to accomplish these missions is because of my ability to sustain injuries outweighing what would normally incapacitate or kill other weapons." Two confused sets of eyes stared at him, which he seemingly expected by his further line of explanation. "I say weapons because it is common knowledge that weapons are the ones who usually take the hit in battle. I believe it's... clear why I can't risk bringing you two into the actual battle-"

"That's stupid. Just don't get hurt next time. And to do that, you'll bring us along."

He had no response to Liz's logic. It made sense to him, but he was still on the edge of bringing them to confront such dangers.

Silence engulfed them for a good five minutes, the grinding and chugging of the train lulling them into an otherwise silent ride. The three returned to their own solidarity: Patty facing the correct way to mess with an array of coloring books and miscellaneous items, Liz flipping through an already-read magazine, and Kid prodding at his neck.

 _"Stop it, Kid!"_

 ** _End_**


	3. Mess

The smashing of glass sounded sharply around the manor, stripping the silence away instantaneously. In the room adjacent to the mysterious accident, Kid sat, a book in his hands and eyes jumping from the page to search the room around him in surprise. As the sound quieted- the last pieces settling and halting their rattling against the smooth surface of the floor- a sudden nervousness quaked inside of him.

Mere seconds passed before the glass could be heard scratching against the floor once more, as if being collected or jostled around. He closed the book unconsciously with the sudden thought of only having seven pieces left of whatever had been broken rummaging through his mind, no matter how insignificant that should have been.

His hands felt around the couch, suddenly curious as to when or where he had sat his book down; instead he found it on the table in front of him, unaware of when he had done such a thing.

His wandering and chaotic thoughts were put to a screeching halt as a rather concerned and slightly frightened, "Kid!" echoed towards him. His movements were stiff, but his search contained an air of urgency that was the extent he could muster with his true concern pertaining to the _seven_ remaining objects still pestering his thoughts.

His thoughts froze once he entered the kitchen. As he had already guessed, a plate laid smashed against the ground, sharp pieces strew everywhere due to the height of the drop. However, what concerned him was Patty, who sat on the floor in front of the initial impact. Her hands were steadily blooming from white to bright red.

"I was trying to pick up the pieces, but I cut myself, Kid." Her voice sounded odd, as if all emotions had been subdued, or as if her voice were unused to being so... un-bubbly. "I'm sorry; now you only have seven plates." Tears were beginning to well in her eyes, and she refused to meet his own.

It was because of her unwillingness to focus away from the mess in front of her that she didn't notice Kid lean down beside her.

"Come on," he spoke, circling her wrists with his hands. "We need to clean and bandage this."

He carefully guided Patty to her feet, and he exited the kitchen with meticulous steps around the broken glass. A few doors down, the pair entered one of the numerous bathrooms within the manor. Kid flicked on the lights and turned on the faucet, all while calmly giving tid-bits of information to Patty. _"Keep your hands over the sink." "Don't worry about that, I'll get it." "Do you need a change of clothes?"_

It surprised her how rather un-Kid-like he was acting, and it left her stunned into a type of un-Patty-like silence, with soft replies answering his questions. He pulled a small face rag out of a closet and placed it under the water before ringing it out and gently running it over her hands. Slowly, the excess blood was rubbed away, leaving a large cut across her left palm. He reached once more into the closet and retrieved a tube of 'Antibiotic Ointment' and a large band-aid.

Once she was cleaned up, he guided her to her own room, speaking in a rather distracted tone that she should go to sleep and forget about washing the remaining dishes, that her sister would be home soon, and that he would take care of the mess.

She did as she was told, agreeing- with the hopes of cheering Kid up- that it was already eleven, past all of their normal bedtimes. As the door closed to Patty's room, Kid hauled himself to his own room, the mess not forgotten but instead being forcibly dunked out of his thoughts.

He laid down on his bed, eyes glued to the ceiling. And he wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he woke to a pair of blue eyes starring down at him.

"You okay?"

It was Liz speaking.

"Is the mess cleaned up?"

He knew he was supposed to have thrown out the broken plate (as well as the seven others), but he couldn't face it alone, not when Patty had hurt herself and Liz was gone for another hour; he would have made no more progress than he had by sleeping.

"Yes."

The tension in his features remained.

"Is Patty alright?"

A pause, in which Liz reached for a light blanket at the foot of the bed, beginning to pull it over him. She didn't meet his eyes as she fixed the material more symmetrically, but a smile graced her lips.

"She's perfectly fine, Kid."

A sigh, and a weight seemed to lift off of him.

"Then, yes, I'm okay."

 ** _End_**


	4. Nothing

"Sis, look at Kid!"

"Shh, you're gonna wake him up!"

Liz pressed a hand against her younger sister's mouth, determined to quiet her obnoxious laughing. Her attempts were unsuccessful, as Patty pried the fingers away from her face to spout another comment. "But, look- he's like a little baby or something!"

"Well, he won't if you don't hush!" Liz's statement was nothing more than a harsh whisper, accompanied by another forceful lunge at quieting her sister.

"Okay, okay! Jeez, sis-" she began laughing- "Can I at least sleep out here tonight then?"

A faint smile passed Liz's lips. "Not tonight; Kid needs to rest. And you bothering him all night is _not_ going to help."

"Then you'll just have to join me, and make sure I actually go to sleep!"

A sigh. "Whatever. Just bring our blankets and pillows down, alright?"

"Gotcha!" With that, Patty was practically bouncing up the stairs into their rooms.

Liz, on the other hand, deflated as she sat on one of the couches. Across from her lay Kid, one hand dangling off the edge of the couch and the other above his head. His lips were parted to breath, which matched the even rise and fall of his chest. While she knew Kid had been asleep since six that night, Patty hadn't found him until ten, when she and her sister were heading off to bed. It had been her intention to leave him be, knowing he would- upon being awoken- otherwise spend an hour or so finding something to correct or alter, before resuming sleep.

* * *

"It's fine, you two can have the seats. I was going to look through some stuff anyway."

A silent sigh escaped Liz. The trio had been sent on a mission at one in the morning; Kid had given up his share of the seat, which sat flush against the side of the train they rode in, in order for Liz and Patty to have adequate room to sleep. They received another three hours of rest, only being disturbed by Kid once they reached the destination. A certain tiredness laced his voice, but Liz kept silent.

Two hours passed, and the three had managed to restrain four Kishin. Specifically, as Kid had informed them, the four that had been a terror to the outskirts of a few local cities. Almost another hour passed, and they were able to fend off a witch, despite the mission clearly stating that she be avoided. The train ride back left Liz and Patty with three more hours of peaceful sleep.

They arrived back at Gallows Manor at ten that morning. While Kid had yet to sleep for more than three consecutive hours since the previous night, he suggested the sisters retire until lunch, when he would be sure to wake them and have everything they would need for their late start on the day.

* * *

Six that night, Liz wandered into the living area to find Kid passed out on the couch. While dark bags had been prominent on his features since their return to the Manor, they had seemed to fade into the pallor and slightly clammy appearance of Kid's face. If she hadn't known better, Liz would have thought he were sick. Seconds ticked by on a nearby clock, and a minute had barely passed before Patty barreled down a set of stairs, blankets and pillows clutched greedily in her arms.

"I'm back, Sis!" It was a whisper. She trudged past the few corners of blanket that had fallen to the ground around her feet before tossing them all on top of Kid.

With three decently sized blankets and five consecutively topped pillows, the pile landed on Kid with a thud, causing the boy to release a small groan in protest.

"Patty, stop it!" She couldn't help the smile that wove its way onto her lips. No matter how much she desired to restrain from laughing, Liz couldn't help but chuckle. "Just... get the other couch set up. I'll sleep on the floor."

The younger went to work, meticulously snatching pillow after pillow off of Kid. Liz herself kept a single pillow to prop underneath Kid's head; and, upon realizing the clammy appearance Kid had taken on was a result of the heat and sweat his body gave off, she asked, as if to herself, "Is it hot in here?" Despite the slight chill that ran down her spine to deny her question, she searched out the thermostat and brought the temperature to a chilly 65.

When she returned, a blanket had been laid over the back of the couch, not on Kid- obviously by Patty, who had taken into consideration what had crossed Liz's concerns. Two mismatched pillows and a brightly colored blanket were laid on the opposite couch for Patty. On the floor, two matching pillows had been placed atop one another to add height, and the thickest blanket of the three Patty had brought was folded neatly beside Patty's couch.

"Goodnight, Sis," Patty spoke, her tone hushed as she snuggled underneath the blanket. With a smile, Liz headed towards her sister.

"Goodnight, Patty." She tucked the edges of the blanket underneath her sister, and then reached for the sole lamp- a tall, slender, black one- that remained on.

* * *

She woke to the sounds of a shower running. A thickness resided within her body as she sat up, obviously caused by sleeping on the hard floor. With a groggy head, Liz stood up and made her way towards the stairs. She began to climb them as the thought _"Who was still asleep?"_ crossed her mind. Another, as she reached the top, flashed momentarily- _"What time is it?"_

A quick glance at a clock hanging on the wall told her it was barely six in the morning. A groan passed her lips, just as she realized there was no longer the sound of running water... but she didn't know how long it had been gone.

Obviously, the background noise had been absent for some time, as she heard the bathroom door open and was met with Kid, already dressed and carrying dirty towels to place in the laundry.

"Good morning, Liz." A slight pause, in which any form of movement to leave the elder sister was halted. "Are you alright?"

Her alertness suddenly flared, as if it had previously been lying dormant- a continuance from her sleep. "Yeah, although I wouldn't say the same for you."

"Me?" Genuine surprise filled his features.

"Yeah, you. I mean, what, you slept for twelve something hours, but you still look... I don't know, worn down."

With features returning to normal and a start to his departure from Liz, he spoke, "Don't be ridiculous."

Any other statements were silenced, as Liz grabbed for his shoulders, halting both his speech and his retreat. "Wait a second, Kid." She stared intently at his face for a moment, trying to pinpoint some oddity. She was suddenly grabbed by something on his neck, in which she brought one hand up to his chin to turn his head.

"What are you-"

"Where'd you get this from?"

It was quiet in comparison to Kid's softly spoken question, but it was effective, nonetheless.

Her other hand reached for his neck, and she probed with her finger at a cut reaching from the curve of his face to the middle of his neck. While it did not appear deep, it was red- indicating it was shallow enough to draw a fair amount of blood- and the surrounding area was hot to the touch.

"Yesterday. It's no big deal; it should heal up soon enough. I mean, granted there's the symmetry problem, it is a relief to know it won't be there for long."

A pause. "How?"

"Excuse me?"

"How did you get it? I didn't notice you get hit at all yesterday."

"I told you, it's not big deal. Nothing happened." A pause, and Liz's hands fell away from his face.

"So if nothing happened, how'd you get it?"

A lapse of hesitancy, as if he were trying to think of a way to outsmart Liz.

"It was from the witch's weapon from yesterday. She grazed my skin, and the fire on the tip of the spear burned my skin a little. That's all."

Liz thought a moment before turning on her heel with resignation.

"Geez, Kid, I thought you said it was nothing."

 ** _End_**


	5. Rules

A punch in the gut sent him flying into the wall, and a breathless gasp left his mouth upon impact.

The two guns in each of his hands remained motionless and quiet, despite the wavelength that shot through the trio's connection, unwillingly screaming out in pain from the repeated damage to the boy's body.

His shirt collar was plucked before he could even land from the rebound of the impact. He was hoisted high and both of his hands reached up in an attempt to release the hold. The restriction didn't last but a few seconds before the buff, outrageously tall man reeled his arm back slightly and chucked him once more at an alleyway wall. A noise escaped from his lips, and it vaguely sounded like he was choking.

This time, his body dropped to the cement, and he instantly released the gun in his right hand and brought it to his mouth. On hands and knees, a small stream of blood made it's way out of the corner of his mouth, and the prior repeated abuse to his stomach, coupled with the wall-tosses and bloody smell that was steadily invading his nose, was making him nauseated.

The sound of approaching footsteps jarred his brain; and he all too quickly grabbed back the gun just as a foot made impact with his abdomen. He was kicked into the side of a monstrously large trash bin; and the metallic din upon contact alerted all that a permanent indention had been made into the receptacle.

With that, however, the man had opened an escape to the boy and his guns; and as his bulky stature tumbled over, the victim fled on unstable feet through the closest alleyway, deeper into the dark recesses of the crime-infested area.

He stopped after barely running a minute between two more trash containers, the main streets completely hidden from view. The two weapons he held were locked in a death grip, but they began to glow pink, nonetheless.

In moments they had transformed into two girls, who stared on with concerned and frightened faces.

The elder opened her mouth to speak, but she was already being spoken over.

"Look, I'm sorry." A cough; and when he pulled his hand away from his mouth, his skin was speckled with spots of blood. "But he was human. I couldn't fight back physically or with you two. He would have known something was up, and it would have been..." A pause of hesitation. "I can't even come up with the word. But it would have been a mess if I had injured him in some form."

"So you just let yourself get beat to a pulp?" It was meant to sound rhetorical- she already knew the answer she _wanted_ to hear _-_ but she knew he would answer anyway.

His eyes shut, his head leaned back against the wall, and his hand reached for his stomach in an attempt to alleviate the intense and agitating pain radiating from his bruised abdomen. His other hand reached for the bridge of his nose, an unintentional broadcasting of his slight annoyance.

"I said I was sorry. I just needed one opening to escape, but it took longer than I intended it to."

His eyes weakly re-opened, and the two girls could see the battle he was fighting to remain awake. They had to admit, a bubbling fear still coursed through both of them, causing them to literally shake where they stood with the notion the man could still be near. He would not want to be asleep if that happened.

The elder sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. "Kid, I don't even understand why you chose to start a fight with him to begin with."

A pause. "They had a girl."

Both sets of eyes locked onto him immediately.

"If you'll recall, I shot a few bullets towards a different guy, but they all missed, as intended. They were meant as a distraction; and the minute he became scared, she escaped. By then, his friend had already delivered the first punch." A break, and he coughed into his hand. He pulled it away, and- before bringing it up to his forehead to nurture an intensifying headache- he lazily wiped the red liquid onto the ground. "As soon as he started the fight, I had to restrain from using you two or making it into a two-sided physical fight. It would have gone against all DWMA rules to fight a normal human being."

While eyes had been glued onto him, his own had wandered to the side, staring un-importantly at another alleyway. His attention returned to his immediate area when a warmth enveloped him.

A sniffle from the younger girl, who held him in a gentle hug.

"One of these times you're going to get yourself knocked unconscious." He looked back towards the other, who looked off at an angle, as if embarrassed by her concern. "You need to leave this stuff to the real cops."

Nothing but silence greeted her.

"Kid?" She spoke as if expecting something.

"Liz."

Her eyes focused on him instantly, a not-so-smug, yet innocently-humorous smile on his lips.

She huffed in false aggravation. "This would be the time to say, 'Yes, Liz, I understand.'"

"Why would I agree to such a lie?"

The younger, who had by then released her hold, laughed at the two.

"Patty, don't encourage him."

"But, Sis, we've been able to save so many people like this." She gave a dreamy sigh, and Kid silently followed with a content one.

"You know, Liz, if it helps, it's never my intention to find these guys. It just... happens."

"Yeah, it just happens. Just like you just happen to get beaten up every single time because of DWMA rules or some crap like that."

She realized her voice had been laced with a certain harshness, but she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Instead, she took a step forward and extended a hand, as if that would suffice.

"I can't give you my hand, Liz."

"And why not?" Genuine, though slight and barely perceptible, annoyance carried her snappy remark.

He lifted his right hand, the one not captured underneath Patty's grip on his arm. A patch of blood covered the palm, presumably from his coughing. When she remained quiet for a moment longer, Kid spluttered once more, a half-cough escaping before he covered his mouth with the same bloody hand to release a few more wet noises.

Liz unconsciously grimaced, her eyes not leaving the meister. Her face relaxed as he slowly removed his hand, peering at it to reveal an overabundance of the liquid, a few small beads dripping over the rim of his hand. He found his face contorted in a similar expression when he noticed Liz's own.

"That was not my intention."

He began wiping his hand on the ground once more, watching it smear instantly.

"Didn't think so," she replied. She- after having noticed she had pulled her hands to her chest and away from the saturated coughing- re-extended her arm towards Kid.

"Liz, I-"

"Well, I don't care."

He understood the tone she used quite decently. She hid her concern for the most part through forcing an agitated tone, but both Patty and he could detect her true response through their wavelength. It was this underlying concern that brought forth a resolve and a muted sigh.

He proffered his hand, and she met him the rest of the distance, bending her back the slightest. The second their skins touched, the pair could feel the wetness slosh between them, and the warm temperature of it left them both feeling icky and slimy.

"Sorry."

Between her and Patty, Liz was almost certain Kid aided minimally in pulling him to his feet. With Patty guiding his far right shoulder and left arm, she could physically feel the tense set his bones had been forced into.

"Liz, Patty-"

He cut himself off, and the two girls were left in shock as he ripped his hand from Liz's grasp to reach for the right trash bin. His movements were less jagged and rough as he pulled his other arm to the bin, as well.

A few ragged breaths left his mouth before he spoke.

"I-I'm sorry; I can't."

"What?" It was only halfway spoken, and Patty brought one hand up to scratch her cheek and show her confusion.

"I would have fallen on you before I actually walked."

Realization dawned upon the two. They had acutely noticed, the adrenaline from the fight had been zapped from them into nothing. Now, the only thing they all felt was exhaustion. Kid's one-minute run was nothing short of a miracle.

"Too bad you can't turn into a gun like me and Sis!" Patty spoke, laughter accompanying.

"It is a shame; he's gonna be pretty heavy like this."

"You cannot be serious, Liz." He ducked his face, coughing onto the bin.

Patty nearly exploded into a fit of laughter.

"Do you have any other ideas, considering you can't even walk?" Liz vaguely realized she had been continuously wiping Kid's blood onto her pants.

Nothing but silence answered her, and the trio seemed frozen in place until-

"Patty!"

The girl was peeling his fingers from the bin- the only thing truly holding him up. Once removed, he felt an instant weakness grow in his legs, and they buckled under his weight. While he was grateful Patty- as well as Liz, who had jumped at the very sudden and unpredicted drop- had gently brought him to the ground, it was her fault to begin with.

Through great resistance and an onslaught of laughter from one individual in particular, Kid was hoisted onto Liz's back. Once the elder girl was on her feet, however, all three seemed to immediately drown in silence.

She made sure to take the back alleys, which meant the road was only scarcely visible. The coldness on her back she attributed to Kid, who seemed to be sapping her heat for himself. The loud footsteps from Patty were drowned out at one point, which was when she realized Kid's head had come to rest on her left shoulder, his breathing coming steady and softly into her ear.

"Punch buggy red!"

The outburst shocked Liz, and she immediately tensed up. She heard the sound of a slap behind her.

"I thought it was punch-buggy, not slap-buggy, Patty."

The remark came out as nothing more than a mumble in her ear, but she couldn't control the first fit of laughter she had experienced that day. Soon enough more words filled her ears.

"What is so funny?" His words appeared farther, not so densely concentrated; his head had lifted from her shoulder.

"You."

She couldn't elaborate. With Patty now joining in, the infectious bugger seemed unwilling to mute itself. With a rough cough, Liz forced the words out.

"I used to say the same thing to Patty. You know, before we met you."

"Yeah, Kid, so don't go stealing our sisterly stuff."

Another round began between the two sisters. With a fake huff, Kid brought his reddened hand up to his mouth and coughed singularly.

"I guess I'll have to respect your wishes, considering I am not your sister and all."

He hadn't expected every ounce of Liz's laughter to explode at such a comment.

The three trudged along with chuckling and giggling never quite dying down. It wasn't until Kid pointed to a hotel across the street- which he suggested they stay at for the night- that they all noticed the silence that had been steadily enveloping them.

Liz continued through the back alleyway for another minute, checking for a crosswalk through the few open views the tight alleyways granted her. Kid was pulled from his watch over Liz's actions by a tap on the arm. His head turned, eyes a little weary and a few bruises now becoming prominent on the left side of his chin and in the middle of his right cheek.

With a little hesitance- just enough to show the grandeur of her statement- Patty spoke with the addition of a humorous yet sincere smile.

"You might not be our sister, but I would love to call you our brother."

 ** _End_**


	6. Movie

"Come on, Kid, you promised!"

A yawn. "I know, I know; just a few more minutes."

"Just because you wouldn't listen to us and go to sleep early last night doesn't give you the right to ditch us now."

Kid opened his eyes, finding Liz to his right and Patty to his left. "Can't we hold this off until tomorrow night? I'm just going to fall asleep halfway through."

"Nope!" The younger sister reached for his arm and began tugging. "Come _on_. If we don't do it tonight, you're gonna find more work or missions to do tomorrow."

"It's not like I mean to do that, though." His eyes gradually closed, and a sigh released from him, allowing the tension to fall away from his shoulders.

"Yeah, just like you didn't mean to fall asleep, in your room, with the lights off, right before the movie."

"What time is it now?"

"Seven."

"I've been asleep for at least an hour. How is that _right_ before the movie? Besides, it would be best if we started at eight."

Patty began laughing and tugging at his arm again. With a slight groan, Kid sat up and rubbed at his eyes with the bottom of his palms. Another yawn escaped. "Sorry. I'm coming." Another round of giggled greeted his ears, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

In a second he was being pulled to his feet by two different arms. His eyes weren't even open, yet he could vaguely feel his feet treading against the floor, socks sticking as static built up.

"You might want to open your eyes to go down the stairs, Kid." Fulfilling the recommendation, he found himself staring at Liz, who had a rather amused look on her face. "You know, if I had known you were quite dead on your feet, I would have just dragged you out of bed."

A third yawn. "Or you could have left me alone."

More laughter from the younger sister, and the trio headed down the stairs. Reaching the bottom, they filed into the living room, accompanied by a rather long couch situated in front of a large television, along with miscellaneous items and furniture pieces that often went unused.

"Movie time!" Patty sang. She plopped onto the right of the couch, dragging Kid with her. Liz followed suite, placing herself to Kid's right. She caught sight of a stifled yawn, but kept her mouth shut as she pressed the Play button the remote control.

* * *

Half an hour in, and Liz could clearly see the struggle Kid faced. A swell, none-the-less, filled in her chest as she noticed him laugh at the same time Patty did. Despite this fight he was obviously loosing, Liz could at least see his attempt.

An hour in, and Kid was just about beat. Leaning deep into the couch, his head continued to nod forward, jerking up in time with his eyes, just as they had come close to closing.

Ten minutes later, he was asleep, the gentle rise and fall of his chest being the only movement out of him. Patty had apparently already noticed, as she had calmed down her boisterous laughing and settled into the couch more comfortably.

Twenty minutes later Patty had fallen asleep, much to Liz's surprise. She had tipped over, leaning on Kid's side.

Another twenty minutes later- for a combined time of an hour and fifty minutes- the movie ended, and neither Kid nor Patty had moved. Liz removed herself from the couch and, with a certain carefulness in her actions, turned off the television and the remaining traces of background music for the credits. She ejected the DVD from the player and placed it into the box.

"Liz?"

She turned around to find Kid, only halfway awake and rubbing his right eye with his right hand (Had he even noticed his left hand was trapped beneath Patty?), with a slightly perplexed expression on his face.

She closed the DVD box with a snap.

"What?" she spoke after a moment of silence.

"Hmm..." He firstly hummed, as if waiting to become fully cognitive. "Nothing; sorry." A pause. "Wait, uh... How long was it before I fell asleep?"

"You lasted about an hour, but considering how you kept nodding off, I'm pretty sure you didn't actually retain anything you watched."

"I would be an idiot to dispute that," he spoke with a short laugh following.

There was a break in which Kid sighed. "I'm sorry, Liz. I know I promised Patty that we would do something like this-"

He was interrupted by Liz, who pointed right next to him.

"I think you should look beside you before you start this huge apology."

 ** _End_**


	7. Headache

"Liz... Liz, wake up."

"Go away..."

Sound pierced her head, causing pain unlike she had known existed blowing up in her skull. She flung an arm across her eyes to shield from the slivers of light coming through, whether from the crack in the door or the window, she wasn't sure.

"We have a mission Liz."

"I said go _away_." A groan accompanied her last syllable.

A pause, and she thought for a moment the pounding in her head was dying down.

"Are you alright?" It was hesitant; he knew if his assumption were correct, she would only be further angered by his incessant questions.

"I have a killer headache. So if you could leave, that would be great."

There was another moment of silence before she heard the soft sound of feet against carpet. She let out a sigh, relaxing into the bed. A minute passed, and sleep was close to enveloping her. Suddenly she was met with frigid cold against her forehead; under normal circumstances she would have shot out of bed, annoyed and shocked. This time, however... it was a relief that was greatly welcomed.

"Patty and I will be out for a while." His words were soft and low. "If you need anything, there's a phone on the bedside table. There is also a glass of water and some medicine for when you're up to it."

"Mmh." It was all she could produce. Accompanied with the cold rag directly atop the pulsing pain and the, what she assumed to be, delicate motion of Kid securely closing the curtains, she was steadily losing whatever will she had to remain awake.

The last noise she heard was of her door gently closing with a snap, leaving her in total darkness.

* * *

She shot up with a gasp, something freezing and wet landing in her lap.

To her right, the slightest bit of light streamed from the door- blocking the majority of it was Patty, standing in front of her.

"Are you okay, sis?"

An embarrassed smile graced her lips. "Yeah, you just scared me a little."

Patty laughed before sitting on the bed beside her sister. "Is your head all better now?"

Liz noticed, although it was quick. The side glance to the table, the absence of the pills she had taken when the pain had intensified. "It's much better now," she replied, quite softly. She turned her attention to her lap, where the cold towel had landed. She plucked it off and flung it to the left. She stifled a laugh instantly.

The wet mass barely dodged Kid, who sat, asleep, on a chair beside the bed. "What is he doing in here?"

"I think he was kind of worried, Sis."

The tone hadn't lost its cheerful glee.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he told me you had a headache, but that his dad had a mission for him. He _insisted_ I stay here, but, I mean, what could I do here? So I wound up going with him. And-" a gasp. "Oh my gosh, you would never believe it! Oh my gosh, sis, he _used_ me!"

Eyebrows furrowed, as if thinking. "What?"

"He used me! He only had me, so he wasn't symmetrical!"

"Whoa, what?" Her head instantly turned back to Kid.

"Yeah! And it was awesome." Patty paused for a moment to recollect her thoughts. "But when we got back home, he said something about checking on you. And I guess you looked sick because he told me to stay quiet; and somehow he wound up asleep because I just came back with a new towel for you head, Sis."

Liz couldn't help but notice the weariness that edged itself into Patty's voice, the same weariness that she assumed was the reason for Kid's 'sleepover.'

And it was because of this weariness that Patty wound up asleep on Liz's bed not an hour later, after having told Liz of the near panic-induced seizure Kid suffered from by being so asymmetrical.

 ** _End_**


	8. Nightmares

_When the two sisters originally came to live at Gallow's Manor, they held a hesitance towards Kid. Liz, of course, held the greater resistance towards accepting this as a new life; and she initially refused much cooperation, even persuading Patty to keep a distance between them and their new 'meister.'_

* * *

A year passed before Patty would wake Kid during the night. Before that, a nightmare meant leaving her room, blanket trailing behind her, and silently creeping into Liz's room. She would slide into the empty side of the ginormous bed before shaking her sister, who would roll over and question who was there. Patty would always disregard the question, skipping straight to, "I had a nightmare."

The elder would roll over and open her blanket for her sister, despite the other blanket she carried. Holding her sister until she fell back into a peaceful sleep, Liz would listen to her breaths, so even and steady compared to the ragged ones she could only assume her sister had woken up to.

The routine- whenever such occurred- broke nearing a year into their establishment at Gallo's Manor. Liz woke up early one weekend morning to find Patty missing from her own bed. With a small lump of worry forming in her stomach, she checked Kid's bedroom next. What she found was unexpected, to say the least.

Kid appeared normal, although she had to admit his sleeping style was rather odd. Head tucked underneath a pillow to ward out the incoming sunlight and blanket only half way up his stomach- revealing a very wrinkly white shirt- he was still deep in sleep. Behind his back, however... Patty slept, curled in a ball and in towards Kid's back, as if seeking the same warmth that came from her visits to Liz.

"Liz?"

Apparently 'deep in sleep' had been too large of an assumption. The boy peeked from underneath the pillow and stared at her with a certain exhaustion that gave away the complete oblivion he remained in.

"What's wrong?"

A pause, in which Liz considered walking right out. "Can I ask what... happened?"

Confusion panned over Kid's face. "What do you mean?"

Liz remained silent and instead pointed behind him. She couldn't find the words to ask. She watched patiently as he removed the pillow and turned the upper half of his body around. Instantly his face lit up, beaming a deep red.

His head snapped back to Liz, and he stuttered his confusion, claiming he was just as lost as her.

The two would learn later once Patty awoke what had happened. A nightmare had woken her, particularly pertaining to Kid. Fearful for him, she turned to his room instead of Liz's, and she eventually fell asleep.

Once the same occurrence replayed itself on multiple accounts, however, both Kid and Liz found themselves less embarrassed and rather expectant of such. Liz found Patty's trust in Kid rather endearing once she, herself, had grown more accustomed to him; and she merely laughed upon finding the two asleep once more with Patty holding Kid in a death-grip hug.

* * *

Despite the tough facade Liz put up, she couldn't deny the nightmares she suffered from. Often enough they were minute, and she could forget about them with ease and return to the slumber they had woken her from. However, there were rare occasions, in which she would wake with a scream, and she could only pray that had been the only one to escape.

One night in particular she recalled waking up with hands on her shoulders, throat feeling slightly dry and hoarse. Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately found herself staring into sharp yellow ones.

A shaky breath left her throat, and she could feel tears threatening to pool down her face. While she could detect a hint of fear coming from the boy's wavelength, his eyes held steady, refusing to physically show what he mentally could not hide.

His lips were set in a thin line, but she was expecting him to say something. Instead, he pulled away, eyes growing farther from her own and hands releasing their hold on her shoulders.

He stood up straight from his position over her bed, but it was obvious he was still wary about what had exactly happened. Quite hesitantly, he left, and the door remained open. Her heart sunk, and embarrassment flooded her cheeks. However, she soon found curiosity buzzing around in her head as she heard water running from some unknown source in the house.

Moments later, Kid was silently sneaking back into her room. At the side of her bed, he extended a glass of water towards her.

"Here."

He spoke softly and flat, and she accepted the water silently. She took a sip, which turned into a gulp- but she had to stop herself there. A question began nagging her.

A hesitant pause passed, in which the glass came down from her lips. "Is Patty still asleep?"

She, too, remained soft spoken, and she was answered with nod.

"I didn't check in her room, but as far as I could tell, she's still asleep."

A sigh released. "Good." A break, in which she took a small drink of the water. Her words came out awkward and forced, alerting both that she didn't quite know how to word her request. "You can... go now."

"All right." With a quick glance, Kid made for the door, leaving it open just a smidgin as he left.

Nevertheless, Liz was greeted to the waking world with a scare. Apparently, she noted, Kid had brought in a chair from one of the neighboring rooms and planted it beside her bed, farthest from the side she preferred to lay on. Asleep, his head had lolled to the side to face the wall. She cautiously wriggled herself free from her blankets to get closer to Kid and tapped him on the arm.

His face cringed, and he muttered something, an unconscious display of his disapproval of whatever was attempting to wake him. She tried once more, and his eyes lazily opened.

"What are you doing in here?" she hissed through her teeth, still afraid of speaking beyond a whisper. A glance at a wall clock told her it was barely four in the morning; she still had plenty of time to sleep.

"Well, you were rather concerned about Patty having to worry about you; and I figured that if I sat in here, I would be able to wake you if anything else occurred."

With eyes closed once more, Kid adjusted himself in the stiff chair. Without warning, a harsh tug on his arm brought him jerking forward and face-first onto the bed.

"Good night, Kid." Tiredness laced her voice; and he couldn't exactly state his annoyance when he was far from feeling such an emotion. The bed felt too comfortable compared to the stiff chair, and the clean scent of the covers left him feeling relaxed.

As he got comfortable, keeping a safe distance between himself and Liz to avoid a rather awkward moment later on, a soft, "Thank you," was produced beside him.

* * *

While he acutely knew neither sister had witnessed him having a nightmare, it was quite obvious in the day that followed. He always woke up more tired than usual; and in spite of his desire for promptness, his alarm clock was never the one to wake him up. Liz would always find herself stepping into his room on multiple accounts to wake him, each time in which he would claim he was "getting up."

Of course, the trio would never arrive late to school; but Liz still found great annoyance in having to wake him up in such a manner- even if such 'drastic measures' only needed initiating once a month or so.

"Kid, get up." Her voice seemed to drip with anger, which was only bubbling up further and further.

"I told you, I'm getting up, Liz." The pillow was brought over his face, shielding him from the elder sister. His tone was of pure exhaustion, which was accompanied by a sigh; and while Liz noted both of these, she only grew frustrated by his ignoring of her.

"I should just let you sleep in and be late for school."

Another sigh from underneath the pillow. "Sorry."

The pillow was lifted, and Liz was met with a sorry-excuse for Kid. "I'm getting up," he repeated once more. He sat up and wrapped the blanket around his body. His eyes wearily opened and found their way up to Liz's face. "What time is it?" A hand came up to his hair, and he began patting it down; she couldn't help but notice it looked more out of place than usual.

"Almost six-thirty."

With some sort of mumbled affirmative, he left for the shower. It wasn't until he came out did Liz truly recognize him as Kid, now looking clean and new.

And it wasn't until later that afternoon, after school had let out and the trio returned home and once she had questioned him to the point of being outright infuriating... did she understand his dilemma.

A long string of questions, all met with meaningless answers, ended with Kid's admittance: "I had a nightmare. That's all."

He abruptly left, and Liz couldn't have even forced herself to be angry the next time Kid refused to wake up.

 ** _End_**


	9. Blood

"Hey!"

The cry of surprise was met with an all encompassing silence, which was outright contradictory to the onslaught of laughter he was expecting from the girl crushing him in a hug.

"Patty?"

Any further questions were put to silence as he heard a great intake of air, followed by the release of a sob. Suddenly, her face was inches from his, and he could see the tears steadily trailing down her face.

"Welcome home."

Her face was once more buried in his chest, and the warmth from her body so forcefully encompassing him was welcomed in contrast to the wind from behind him, blowing in from the still-open door.

"Why's there blood on your face?"

He tensed.

"When I woke up this morning, Liz had said you left to scout. She said you'd be fine."

He hadn't realized he had started holding his breath.

"So why's there blood on your face, Kid?"

She broke down into sobs, face burring deeper and arms wrapping harder as if to protect her meister and comfort herself.

"Why didn't you take me and Sis along?"

The question, nothing more than a whisper through tears, had obviously been gnawing at her heart and been difficult to vocalize. It left Kid dazed.

The sudden crash of thunder broke him out of his trance, and he suddenly become knowledgeable of the drenched state he was in, currently being transferred to Patty.

A shaky breath left him. In spite of the constant buzzing and knocking of ideas swimming through his head, Kid couldn't find a voice to produce a single one.

He suddenly felt the constant coldness behind him cease as the room was drenched further into darkness. The door snapped shut, and suddenly the house around him came into a clearer focus, alerting him that, while taking in every bit of Patty's speech and movements, he was still gripping a precise focus on the more immediate occurrences.

A washcloth was run across his face, and his eyes drifted to the side, watching the white material rub at his cheek. The white suddenly peeled away to reveal a light crimson blush across the once pristine surface.

His gazed lifted from the cloth to Liz, who then leaned forward once more, this time scrubbing at his chin, where he apparently had been tossed into a pile of mud by the brown coloration and the small nick that was located around his front, lower, jaw.

Once done, the cloth revealed much more dirt than he had thought remained on his skin.

She grabbed his face and tilted it up and to the right, revealing another- this time horizontal- cut on his other cheek. Again the cloth ran across his face to smear and then wipe away the blood. "I thought you were just going to scout. Since when does scouting involve a face-plant into the mud?"

It carried a lightweight feeling to it, which lifted both Kid and Patty, the latter failing miserably at drying her tears.

"It was nothing serious. Stepping on one of Patty's LEGO's is both more serious and painful."

It was a little rigid, but he immediately began feeling a reverberation on his chest. Within moments, the laughter bubbling from Patty erupted into a full on laughing fit, and she was forced to turn her face outward to avoid suffocating.

Granted Patty's bone-crushing hug had agitated his injuries (which he would admit to himself, hurt a heck of a lot worse than stepping on a LEGO block), he found comfort in the familiarity of the younger sister. It was part of the innocence that he loved about returning home.

However, a sigh rose from Liz, coupled by an ironic grin. "Do we even have a mission anymore?"

There was a break; and then Kid replied, in the hope Liz got the rhetoric nature of his question.

"Liz, do you think I got all bloody and covered in mud in the hopes that I could do it again tomorrow?"

 ** _End_**


	10. Guns

She worried about him. She truly did. Her chest sometimes hurt, she recently noticed, from the times she would find herself anxiously worrying over him. Her chest clamped, and her breath caught in her throat. He did occasionally notice, and he would attempt to be even more careful of what he was doing. But it didn't help if she and her sister were the ones getting in that trouble in the first place.

Liz easily admitted this to be an easy mission. It quickly turned ugly- a mob had attacked them in the street and forced him into a nearby abandoned church. They weren't anywhere near a kishin, and he couldn't very well start a fight with them. So Kid carefully held Liz and Patty as guns behind his back. It didn't work when more appeared from behind.

"Whoa, boss. This kid's got guns," one burly man spoke, a thick northern accent coming through.

A second man- it was too dark to see facial features or even the clothes they wore- stepped up to Kid, peeking behind him. "Well, what do you know. You've got some guts comin' around here with something like that."

He pushed Kid up against a wall, guns digging into his back. He gave a slight groan at the impact, but otherwise remained silent.

"So tell me," the apparent boss started, "what exactly are you doing here? This is our grounds, kid. I ought 'a kill you, ya know?"

Kid didn't have time to open his mouth, explain his case. Four other men walked closer, one poking a gun's muzzle under his chin. He could feel Liz and Patty's wavelengths jump- spike up to a point of gripping his heart momentarily.

"Show us your guns," their boss ordered.

Kid remained still, and Liz took the initiative to whisper, "Just do it, Kid!"

He pulled them from behind his back, showcasing them to the five surrounding guys. One man pushed across the huddle and leaned his head downward. "I know what these are," he spoke with a smirk. "These are those fancy weapons or whatever. You know, from the DWMA, right?" He smacked under Kid's hands. "Transform. I wanna see what kind of brats these two guns really are."

The pair instantly started to glow, and Kid opened his mouth to protest- only for the thug's gun to shove deeper into his skin.

In front of him stood Liz and Patty, and there was a pregnant pause at the intense disbelief. In surprise, the group began laughing, uncontrollable waves of humor rippling off of them. The gun was dropped from his chin. Their boss was the only one to keep a cool head. It took only a moment for Kid to realize, as well as Liz and Patty, his motives.

"Change back, now!" Kid screamed. A second latter, and the bullet would have ripped through Liz's side. It instead implanted itself into Kid's chest. He double over, retaining the knowledge the remainder of the group had shut up.

"Kid!" the two weapons called in pure horror.

He found an opening in the clustered men from their outburst and slid out, loosing his footing on the ground as he exited.

"Fire!" he vaguely recalled hearing the boss yell. One bullet entered his back, another his leg. He stumbled, and another intruded his back. He could taste copper in his mouth, and the girls worrying over him- consuming any other emotion possible through their wavelength- helped none in his concentration. He rounded out the door, entered the next building immediately. It was, as well, abandoned. Luckily it locked from the inside. As soon as the door clicked shut, Kid dropped to the floor, loosing enough energy to even stay off of his stomach.

He heard them call his name once more, and he recognized their forms in front of him, hands closing in, but too timid to actually touch him.

"I'm fine..." he huffed out. "My body will heal on its own." A pause. "Are you two alright?"

"Of course we are!" Liz yelled back in anger. "But you're not! How can you even _think_ you are?"

He didn't want to hear Patty. She already had a bad temper, and this would definitely set her off. And furthermore, he couldn't understand how _Liz_ didn't understand that he was a 'shinigami,' the same thing as his dad. He would heal on his own; it just took time.

Kid sighed, his eyes weaving their way shut. "Stop worrying..." he mumbled.

He heard a slight ruffling of fabric, and then he was being lifted up. He felt lightheaded, but the warmth that extended across his body from the touch made him realize just how cold he was- and how much he wanted the heat.

And then Patty was speaking, gently, but still ended with that poignant giggling of hers.

"Up you go, Kid."

 _ **End**_


	11. Idiot

The moment Liz decided to protect her meister was one of the biggest mistakes she could have made.

Rounding a corner, Kid leaned against the wall, taking in a deep gulp of air, nearly choking on it. He couldn't hold back the slight panic growing in the pit of his stomach. The grip on the guns in his hands tightened, and the metal dug into his palms. His breath caught in his throat at the sound of a trashcan being tipped over.

"Come out, little boy! There's no where you can go from here!"

His soul was wavering, and his heart was pounding. His chest burned, and he could honestly say he was frightened.

"Relax!" Liz called out from his right hand.

He wished he could oblige, but it was impossible. There was a normal girl whose life depended on him finding a way to fight off her captor. Then there were Liz and Patty, who he wouldn't dare put in the middle of this type of fighting.

Willing his previously unknown shaking to calm, he peered around the corner. A rather robust man remained planted in the middle of the alleyway, a girl hugged roughly to his chest. A gun was held at his side.

"Kid, look out!" He vaguely felt the sudden loss of weight in one of his hands, and his immediate reaction was to spin around. He never would have expected to see Liz between him and another man- a knife positioned above her head. It took no thought, and a second later he was pushing Liz out of the way, throwing Patty's gun-form at her. The elder sister could only look on as the knife plunged into his back, sending him crashing to the ground.

He let out a grunt and then a hiss of pain as the metal was removed. Blood was already beginning to pool beneath him, but he scrambled to his feet, one hand pressed to his stomach.

"Liz, take Patty and run!" It was beyond harsh, and she had never heard him speak so... so rude? callous? She couldn't even find the right word.

"But-"

"Just go!"

She hesitated, just long enough for Kid to rush at the man, restraining his hands- and the knife- above his head. "Hurry up!" It was a ghastly sight, and she cringed as she sped around the corner, catching just a glimpse of Kid being tossed at the back wall.

"Little punk- just who do you think you are? You can't just go around these streets, doin' whatever the heck you want."

He was met with silence. A sound left his lips, like the click of his tongue, before he spit to the side and stepped over towards Kid.

A moment later his feet were being ripped off the ground. His grip loosened on the knife, and it clanged to the cement a few feet away. As his head made impact below, he could only guess the 'little punk' had tripped him clean off his own two feet.

"Don't move or I will." His eyes opened, and a gasp left his mouth- his body stiffening. Kid leaned over his body, with the knife dangerously close to his throat. "Is his gun really loaded?"

Silence passed over them, aside from the continuous honking of horns throughout the city. A second, dulled noise met the man's ear, and he glanced downward. Kid's blood was gently dripping onto his stomach, turning his grimy shirt a pale red. "I don't think you'll last long enough to find out."

He found his face inches from Kid's, and he pulled back in sudden shock. "Okay, okay!" The knife had gotten considerably closer, even touching his skin. "It's empty, I promise. He-he had four when he left, but you saw- he shot three at you while you were running, and the fourth was used on an innocent lady. The one, you know, you saw- she witnessed the chase. He had no choice but to shoot her!"

The weight was lifted from his chest, and he stared on, frozen in fear, as Kid stood up. "It's too late for you, anyway."

"Huh?" He was pulled from his fear-induced haze, and the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.

* * *

He stumbled through the streets, having left the final leg up to the real cops. His body had since begun healing itself, tho it was a rather slow process. A few streets down, he heard a soft noise, accompanied by what he thought was his name.

His head perked up, and he searched around him for the voice. To his left, two figures appeared from a side alley, and it took a few seconds for the streetlights to fill in their features, revealing Liz and Patty. A moment of hesitation passed before gasps escaped the two sisters' mouths.

"Kid, you're bleeding; we need to get you home."

Liz spoke with such a calm voice, it almost lulled him into a sense of security. It enveloped his body, and that, coupled with the pain and blood-lose, dropped him into the realm of unconsciousness.

He woke to a dark world, soft cushions covering his body. The faint smell of blood lingered, and he became aware of extra pressure on his stomach, the result of tightly placed bandages. The door creaked open, and light filled what he realized to be his room.

Liz stepped in, holding a cup of water in her hands. "Liz?" he asked, pushing himself up to sit.

"How are you feeling, Kid?" She handed him the glass, and it wasn't until he grasped it did he realize that he was shaking.

He took a sip and intended to stop to answer, but his throat ached for more, and he downed the entire glass in seconds. He handed the empty glass back to Liz and then sighed. "I feel like I should punch some sense into you..."

"Excuse me?" She felt offended, no matter how weak Kid's answer came out. "You were the one who spotted the guy after the Kishin hunt and wanted to help. What did _I_ do wrong?"

A pause. "Do you really have no idea?" She only stared back, as if his question didn't deserve an answer. "You changed back. What if you had gotten hurt? What if... What if _you_ had gotten stabbed?"

She scoffed, and it was obvious her temper had flared. "Well, excuse me for being concerned about your safety."

"Liz, it's not-"

"No, it _is_ , Kid. You act like your safety doesn't matter, and you just let yourself get thrown here or cut there. I mean, have you seen how many times Soul has gotten hurt protecting Maka? Isn't that technically what the weapon is _supposed_ to do?" It vaguely crossed her mind that Kid could heal his wounds, but she refused to back down.

"Not when there's a chance of loosing you two!"

The breath caught in her throat, having already assumed he would assert his healing powers instantly.

"Before... Before you two came into my life," his breathing was slightly haggard, but Liz thought better of addressing his need for rest. "I had no reason to get injured. Now... Now the only reason I let myself get hurt is because I'm too scared of letting you two get hurt. I... I can't think too fast or else it might put you or Patty in the way. I can't turn on a guy and hope the bullets hit before he knocks one of you away."

The flare in Liz had been drenched, and her eyes became glossy.

"I-I don't mean to blame you; the only person I blame for this is myself." He back stepped, obviously noticing his words- if interpreted wrong- would place fault on the sisters. "I only mean to say that..." A sigh, his eyes turning downcast. "I care about you and Patty too much to just allow stuff to happen. So if that means I get a scratch here, or... a knife through the stomach, I couldn't care less."

He refused to meet Liz's gaze, his eyes remaining planted on the sheets covering him. It wasn't until he felt incredible warmth and an enveloping sensation did he look up. He found Liz leaning over the bed, encompassing him in a steadily tightening hug.

"You idiot..." Her speech was impeded by sobs rising out of her throat. "Don't you think Patty and I feel the same?"

 _ **End**_

* * *

 _I may update this in the future; but for now, "Memento" is complete. Thank you all for the support and reviews!_


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